Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Friday, November 15, 7:10 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) had surgery on his right knee earlier this week to fix a torn ACL and other damage. In addition to tearing his ACL, Aiyuk also tore his MCL in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will miss the rest of the season. He should have already been dropped in single-season fantasy leagues. It remains to be seen if the 26-year-old will make enough progress in his rehab in the offseason in order to be ready to play in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season next fall. For the rest of 2024, receivers Deebo Samuel Sr. and Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle should be the most-targeted pass-catchers, with rookie first-rounder Ricky Pearsall also seeing an expanded role in the passing attack. Aiyuk was an absolute fantasy bust this year, finishing with 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games.

Friday, December 20, 7:34 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is in an excellent position to succeed in Week 16. The Seahawks are hosting the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have been one of the worst teams at stopping opposing passing games in fantasy this season. Part of that is due to the fact that the Vikings are so adept at stopping the run. However, their struggles in the passing game are very real. Smith-Njigba has slid into the No. 1 wide receiver role in Seattle's offense this season. He is six yards away from his first 1,000-yard season and he has scored five touchdowns. Smith-Njigba should see plenty of volume this week. The Seahawks are likely going to have to air it out to keep up with the Vikings and avoid their run defense. Smith-Njigba has WR1 upside as a result.